Pets' Corner
A free petting farm running since the 1960s, with a playground, cafe and toilets next door: the reason families come.
Barely three kilometres from Newcastle's city centre, the streets drop away into a deep, narrow ravine where the Ouseburn stream threads between crags, dense trees and a small waterfall. It looks like a slice of wild Northumberland that the city forgot to build over. It is nothing of the sort. Lord Armstrong, the arms manufacturer and engineer behind Cragside, spent the 1860s sculpting this valley as a picturesque private park, then handed it to the people of the city in 1883; it opened to the public the following year. Even the waterfall everyone stops to photograph was engineered, beside an old mill. It is entirely free and open around the clock, and its pull for families is obvious. In the middle of the dene, next to Millfield House, sits Pets' Corner, a small free petting farm that has been a local fixture since the 1960s: goats, rabbits, ducks, chickens and guinea pigs, open daily from 10:30 to 16:00 (last entry 15:45). A playground, cafe and toilets are right beside it. The ruined St Mary's Chapel, the city's oldest religious building, and the shell of Armstrong's Banqueting Hall are worth a few minutes each and no more. Be realistic about the walking. The valley sides are steep, and many paths involve steps or gradients that defeat a pushchair, though the riverside route is mostly flat and manageable with one. After rain, which in north-east England means often, the earth paths turn to mud and proper footwear stops being optional. In summer the dene is green, shaded and a genuine relief on a warm day; autumn colour is lovely; in winter daylight is short, the paths are wet and Pets' Corner shuts at four, around dusk. If you happen to be here on the first or third Saturday of the month, the iron Armstrong Bridge at the southern end becomes Jesmond Food Market from 10:00 to 15:00, dozens of stalls of bread, cheese, sweet things and produce, and the best way into the valley that day. Getting there: Jesmond or West Jesmond Metro then a 10 to 15 minute walk for the central section, or Ilford Road for the northern end; drivers will find parking on Red Walk inside the dene near the visitor centre.
A free petting farm running since the 1960s, with a playground, cafe and toilets next door: the reason families come.
The dene's most photographed spot, engineered under Lord Armstrong to look as though nature did it.
First and third Saturday of the month, 10:00-15:00, dozens of local food stalls on a traffic-free iron bridge.
Millfield House, Red Walk, Jesmond Dene, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7BQ
With children, yes without hesitation: two hours of Pets' Corner, the playground and the waterfall deliver theme-park levels of contentment for nothing. Without children and with only a day, the bridges, the Quayside and Tynemouth come first; the dene is a lovely park, not a must-see.
Partly. The riverside path from the visitor centre to the waterfall is mostly flat and fine, but climbing to the rim or reaching St Mary's Chapel means steps and steep ramps. Park on Red Walk by the visitor centre and stay on the valley floor.